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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. BURK, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EDVARD M. JEWETT, OFSAME PLACE.

BARREL-STAVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,205, dated June 21,1881,

Application filed March 10, 1880.

To all whom fit may concern Beit known that I, JOHN J. BURK, a subjectofthe Queen of Great Britain, residing in the city of Buffalo, in thecounty of Erie and State ot' New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Staves for Barrels, of which the following is aspecification.

The object ot' this invention is to render the form or shape of a stavepermanent, and to increase the strength and durability and improve theappearance ofthe same, and also to lessen the cost ot' its construction.

Heretofore staves have been prepared in the wet or steamed state, whichleaves them in a condition to slrink and warp out of shape while drying.

Myinvention obviates this objection; and it consists of a stavecompressed between rollers while in a dry state, so as to increase itswidth and diminish its thickness, thereby making it more dense, andconsequently increasing its strength and durability, and also improvingits appearance, as will be more clearly understood by reference to thedrawings, in which- Figure l is a front view of a stave; Fig. 2, a sideelevation, and Fig. 3 an end view. Fig. 4 represents a stave partlycompleted by my process, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same.

The stave, after being cut or otherwise made in the ordinary way andmade perfectly dry, is passed through powerful rollers of the properform to give it the necessarytransverse curve so as to compress it aboutone-third of its thickness. The rollers are made one with a concave faceon the periphery and the other with a convex face, the curve being ofthe necessary form to curve a stave (transversely) for a barrel, keg,Cask, or other similar article.

In Figs. 4 and 5, A represents the iinished or compressed portion of astave, and B the part which has not been acted on or compressed. It willbe noticed that the finished portion is wider and thinner than theunfinished portion.

Some of the advantages resulting from this process or mode ofconstruction are as follows: A stave constructed in this way is in abetter and more permanent shape than firing (No model.)

or trussing can possibly leave it, and it thereby produces a bettershaped barrel. The compressing-rollers smooth the rough parts, close upthe worm-holes, and bring a crooked or warped stave into proper shape,thereby making it possible to use staves that would otherwise beworthless. It leaves the timber in a more condensed condition, andconsequently in better shape to resistthe influence of either a dry ordamp atmosphereyor to stand eX- cessive heat, such as a barrel wouldhave to stand when used for water-lime, slaked lime, Sto. The wood beingin a more condensed state, its 'absorbing qualities are much less, and abarrel made therefrom is more nearly air-tight. When used in a barrel itobviates the necessity of rin g and retrussin g, which is quite an itemin the costof manufacture, besides the saving of insurance in a largeshop, where the tiring of barrels is dispensed with.

The barrel being cold when hooped makes a.

better barrel than when tired, as at least ninety per cent. of lire-madebarrels are hooped while yet warm, and the timber does not cease toshrink until it becomes entirely cold. It produces a saving of at leasttive per cent. in timber, as it increases in width, as shown in Figs. 4and 5, while being compressed, so that more barrels can be made from agiven number of staves than by the old way. The shape ot' a stave formeddry in this way being permanent, it is impossible for a stave to fall inor bring a convex surface inside, instead of outside, ot' a barrel, asis often the case when hre-made. It reduces the cost of making at leasttwenty-live per cent. Timber prepared in this way should not be boiledor steamed, but shouldbe prepared cold and dry.

I do not here claim the mode of preparing staves above described, as thesame may form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent;but

I claim- As a new article of manufacture, a bent wooden stave havingcondensed and laterallyspread fibers, as set forth.

JOHN J. BURK.

Vitnesses: i

JAMES SANGsTEE, It. W. ENGLISH.

